Creation's Trial
by Schattenu
Summary: The ancient tale of the epic battle between two titans to claim the powerful Mask of Creation.


Creation's Trial

There exist two ancient beings in the world inhabited by Matoran. One is a twisted monster that imprisons helpless beings for his own benefit. They say he used to help Matoran that couldn't do their jobs well, but he went mad and started turning them into slaves. The other is a benevolent entity that none have ever seen. Some say he's a myth, others that he is one of the Great Beings that created the universe. He made his realm into a haven for Matoran, where they could work in the light. He creates tools and items for the entire universe, though how is another myth.

There is a legend of a Great Mask of Power, so wonderful that the Great Beings made only one. This mask, it is said, now belongs to one of the two aforementioned beings, though it was not a prize easily won. The battle took place long ago, when these two figures of power were not so ancient, and when the world was new...

The hulking giant named Karzahni marched up the path leading north away from his realm. At the top of the hill, standing between the jagged rocks was a figure in a white cloak. His face was hidden, and though he was considerably smaller than Karzahni, he had an aura of power about him. The monstrous Manas that usually guarded the entrance to this blasted land had kept their distance from the entity. He watched as Karzahni, full of rage at the sight of the dead Manas at the feet of the figure, strode toward him.

He looked at his creation coming up the slope with pride. Surely Karzahni was far from a physically beautiful form, but he wasn't a waste, either. Clad in black and gold armor, Karzahni was certainly a sight to see. That same armor was studded with razor sharp spikes and blades, along with two long, twisted horns – one gold, one ebony – on his head. Around his waist was a golden belt with a large skull carved into the front. In his hand was a long length of chain, which he could mentally trigger to burst into flame.

The most striking feature, however, was his Kanohi mask. It, too, was gold and black, though it looked as if it were sewn together from four separate masks. The cloaked being recognized it as the Kanohi Olisi, the Great Mask of Alternate Futures.

Karzahni stopped a few yards from his visitor, looked down at the corpse of the Manas, then back up at the being. "You dare kill one of my guardians?" he growled angrily.

"Yes, Karzahni, I do. We, the Great Beings, are in need of your audience. We have something that could change the course of your life forever."

Before Karzahni could respond, the figure waved his arm and the two were teleported away in a blinding flash.

Karzahni and the Great Being arrived in a place Karzahni had never dreamed of. As his eyes adjusted to the change of light, his gaze fell across a beautiful valley. Tropical trees grew just about everywhere as clear-watered rivers snaked between them. In the distance, Karzahni could see a large waterfall cascading over the cliff side, creating a colorful rainbow in the air. Brightly-colored Rahi birds flew overhead, the songs carrying through the crisp, clean air.

"What is this place?" Karzahni asked with wonder in his voice.

"An island by the name of Daxia," the Great Being replied. "Here, we shall set the foundations of a secret society that will carry out our will. Come along, we haven't much time." He half glided down a rocky path between the tall trees with Karzahni in tow.

Soon enough, the two travelers had crossed a stone bridge into the ruins of an old temple. Upon entering the main chamber, Karzahni's attention was drawn to a stone pedestal in the center, upon which sat a glowing object. He took a step toward it, but the Great Being held up his hand.

"Wait. We are expecting another."

As if on cue, another tall figure stepping into the room from an entrance on the opposite wall. He was lean and clad in silver and royal blue armor. Two great metallic "fins" stretched from his back, giving him an angelic appearance. Unlike Karzahni, his armor was streamlined and almost organic in appearance. Attached to his forearms were two long, graceful blades etched with old symbols and figures. Icy blue eyes gleamed from behind a smooth silver mask – the Kanohi Lampa, Great Mask of Adaptation.

"Greetings, Artakha," the Great Being said. "I have been sent to show you and Karzahni something."

Karzahni's eyes narrowed at the sight of his brother. Artakha gave him a nod, but there was nothing warm or welcoming in the gesture.

The cloaked form strode over to the pedestal and directed their attention to the object that rested on it. "This, my friends, is the Kanohi Skapa, Great Mask of Creation. Now, it does not actually create anything. It allows the wearer to see how something should be built to perfection. As you both know, this could be useful to your jobs. Karzahni, you could repair Matoran into the perfect form, making them work flawlessly. Artakha, you know you must create objects and tools for the universe, and this mask can help you forge the most effective tools and weapons. Though there is a problem; we used so many materials in creating the Mask of Life that we were only able to forge one Kanohi Skapa."

Karzahni slowly reached for his chain, knowing where this little meeting was headed.

"After much discussion," the Great Being continued, "we have decided to let the victor of a battle receive the mask. Just remember not to kill each other – we still need the both of you."

In a wisp of smoke, the figure was gone. A force field appeared around the mask and its pedestal. The two brothers eyed each other warily.

"You know I need this mask more than you do, brother," Artakha said.

Karzahni barked a laugh. "Why? To make tools? I repair Matoran, Artakha. Their lives depend on me."

Artakha suddenly fired a bolt of pure energy from the point of one of his blades. Karzahni barely jumped out of the way in time, the wall behind him exploding into rubble. He responding by throwing his chain at Artakha, looping it around his ankles. With a hard yank, the twisted being whipped Artakha's legs out from under him. The tall figure flew up into the air and landed hard on his back. Without hesitating, his gauntlet crackling with energy, Karzahni jumped into the air and brought his armored fist down on his brother. Artakha quickly rolled to the side, hearing Karzahni's attack shatter the stone floor of the temple.

Artakha, while still on the ground, spun his body around and connected his foot to Karzahni's head. Without missing a beat, Artakha jumped to his feet and readied his blades. What he didn't expect was to see the black and gold form charging straight at him. Karzahni slammed into Artakha's chest with his spiked shoulder plate. Artakha felt the barbs puncture his armor and organic tissue beneath. As he yelled in pain, Karzahni wrapped his chain around his brother and started whirling him in the air. Once Artakha was spinning at top speed over Karzahni's head, his brother cracked his chain like a whip, flinging him through the wall and into the trees.

Pain wracked Artakha's body as he felt the trunks snap under him. Trying to regain his bearings, he saw Karzahni spinning his chain over his head again. This time when he lashed it forward, Artakha was ready for him. He quickly brought his arm up in front of him, letting the chain wrap around his blade. He threw his arm back, sending his brother flying toward him. As Karzahni neared, Artakha leaned back and thrust his head forward, slamming it into Karzahni's skull.

Dazed, the demonic titan dropped to the ground, trying to make it so that he could only see _one_ Artakha. He cleared his head fast enough to see Artakha's foot coming down on his chest. He grabbed his brother's ankle before his chest was smashed and threw him to the side. As Karzahni stood, he saw Artakha's mask begin to glow.

Activating his Mask of Adaptation, Artakha reached out and touched a piece of rubble from the temple. The mask's power flowed through him into the masonry, then back into him, turning his body to stone – only his ice blue eyes remained the same. He charged forward and threw all his weight into his brother's body. Seeing his arm begin to crack after so much pressure, he deactivated the Kanohi and returned to his normal state.

Karzahni thanked the Great Beings, since he really didn't like the feeling of have fifty tons worth of rock being thrown into him. "So, you've resorted to throwing rocks, now?" Karzahni let his chain fly, wrapping it around the huge statue atop the temple. With a hard tug, he tore it loose and flung it at his brother. Unable to move in time, Artakha shifted his body so that the force of the impact struck his shoulder. He screamed in pain, gripping the now-tender spot on his arm.

This gave Karzahni an idea. Activating his mask power, he showed Artakha what would have happened if he had not moved in time. The result was a very dead silver and blue figure in the jungle, leaving Karzahni to rule over Artakha's realm along with his own.

Artakha gave a shout of anger and shot a large energy bolt at Karzahni. His opponent had not expected such, and thus took the full force of the blow square in the chest. The blast sent him flying down into a deep ravine and into a river far below. Artakha slowly approached the edge and looked down to see a wet Karzahni staggering to get up. Looking up at his enemy, Karzahni whirled his chain and threw it at him once more, and again Artakha let it wrap around one of his blades. Karzahni was no fool, however; when Artakha tried to yank him toward his own body again, Karzahni yanked back.

"No, no," Karzahni scolded, bringing all his weight down. While he did not drag Artakha himself into the ravine with him, he was equally rewarded when the blade gave into the chain's pressure and snapped off. Smiling, Karzahni picked up the broken weapon and looked up at his brother. "I believe this belongs to you!" he shouted, hurling it back up at Artakha. The blade buried itself in his shoulder, producing a scream of pain and rage from the master builder.

Karzahni took advantage of the distraction and bounded up the ravine cliff and over Artakha's head. "Time to end this little charade," he growled. "Good bye, brother." Willing his chain to burst into flame, he wrapped it around Artakha, pinning his arms to his sides. Once tight, Karzahni telepathically made the chain's flames grow larger and hotter. He laughed as Artakha yelled in pain.

Artakha had only one hope left. It would require more concentration than he had ever focused on, and if he didn't act quickly, he would be lost to the white-hot fire of his brother's chain. With an immense amount of willpower, Artakha activated his mask power.

Karzahni saw the Kanohi Lampa glow too late. With a roar of pure rage, Artakha adapted the fire's composition and his body exploded with light and heat. He was now a living flame. Looking down at his brother, he said, "If you can't handle the heat, don't feed the fire." He grabbed the broken blade from his shoulder and ripped it out, turning it into a flaming missile. With a haunting battle cry, Artakha threw the the blast with all his might at Karzahni. The attack had so much force it blew Karzahni through the entire temple and into an even deeper ravine. With a splash the demented ruler hit the river hard, knocking him into unconsciousness.

Deactivating his mask, Artakha half crawled into the temple to claim his prize.


End file.
